* Press release…
Reform-minded legislators Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield), Randy Frese (R-Paloma), Margo McDermed (R-Mokena), and Tom Morrison (R-Palatine) today demanded Speaker Madigan resign amid FBI investigations and harassment cases that have tainted his caucus for decades.
Representative Batinick believes Illinois has a culture of corruption, but it’s leadership that sets this culture. “House Speaker Mike Madigan is the longest-serving House Speaker in history, and under his reign we’ve seen a decades-long pattern of unethical behavior and corruption in Illinois government,” said Rep. Batinick. “People all around him are being investigated, searched, recorded, arrested and indicted. To restore trust and accountability in state government, Speaker Madigan must resign.”
According to Batinick, the resignations must extend beyond the Speaker and also include the state’s top financial watchdog, Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino. “Auditor General Mautino has been under fire since his appointment in 2016 when it was alleged he used campaign money for personal purposes for over a decade while serving as a lawmaker,” said Batinick. “He has yet to answer those charges, and efforts to remove him from the position of Auditor General have been squashed by Speaker Madigan and his Democratic Majority. At a bare minimum, Mautino must resign.”
Rep. McDermed said the typical response to scandals by Madigan and his loyalists, which includes denouncing behaviors and floating the illusion of reform while rejecting anything substantive, must end. “Amidst a #MeToo scandal atop the political and legislative sides of Madigan’s operation, the Speaker has again and again promised reforms while simultaneously protecting his allies,” McDermed said. “Their response to sexual harassment and bullying has been to lie and intimidate the accusers while rewarding the harassers. On behalf of the 200 people who signed a letter alleging harassment in Springfield and others too afraid to speak up for fear of retaliation, I am demanding Speaker Madigan’s resignation.”
McDermed pointed to Madigan’s refusal to advance more than a dozen ethics reform bills filed by House Republicans, only to bring forward extremely watered down measures during the 11th hour of the fall veto session. “Legislation that would have brought forth meaningful change were blocked while Democrats approved ethics reform bills that have no hope of improving ethics in Springfield,” McDermed added.
“Speaker Madigan has the power to advance or kill legislation, and he controls the committee process through his House rules,” said Rep. Morrison. “Those who play his game are rewarded with key committee chairmanships and later many receive lucrative lobbying contracts and jobs, while those who stand up to these practices are punished. This culture of corruption denigrates our entire system of government and impacts families on a personal level through the ‘corruption tax’ we pay.”
Rep. Morrison also reiterated the need for Auditor General Frank Mautino to resign. “The condition of state and local government finances are one of the most critical issues facing the state of Illinois and its thousands of local units of government,” said Morrison. “That’s why the Illinois Constitution provides for the position of Auditor General, who oversees state agency spending, grants, and helps ensure compliance with state and federal laws. Illinois residents deserve a genuine and competent watchdog over state finances, an individual beyond reproach. Sadly, this is Illinois, and our current Auditor General, Frank Mautino, remains under a cloud of scandal. Speaker Madigan’s refusal to demand answers from Mr. Mautino or call the bill to remove the Auditor is an example of ‘turning a blind eye.’ For this reason and more we are reiterating our call for Auditor General Mautino to resign.”
Batinick and Morrison are facing serious reelection challenges. McDermed is retiring.
…Adding… This post originally had an older version of the press release, which is still here. It’s been updated with a new version.
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*** UPDATED x2 *** Our sorry state
Tuesday, Dec 3, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Aging out of the state’s public special education system, Nick [22, who has been diagnosed with autism] now stays at home, where his mother worries he is becoming more and more isolated and losing what he has learned. She wants to get him into adult programs funded by the state that would continue his training and maybe even set him up in a group home. […]
Nick is among nearly 20,000 disabled adults in Illinois who are on a waiting list to get into adult programs. Many of them come from families who don’t have a way to pay for home care, job coaches or other services.
Most wait an average of seven years before they are selected, despite a court order in 2011 that Illinois shrink the list and do other things to improve how it serves developmentally disabled adults.
One family told the Tribune they signed up their child when he was just 5 and he still did not get a spot when he turned 22 this year.
20,000?
* IARF President & CEO Josh Evans…
Earlier today the Chicago Tribune published an article that serves as a painful and frustrating reminder to all Illinoisans – particularly those with disabilities and their families - that as a state we have failed to provide for the multi-generational needs of thousands of adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities that are on the state’s waiting list for community-based services and supports in a timely manner. With this publication on International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Association and its members have a renewed focus in working to address the funding and structural issues that continue to serve as barriers to growing access to services and supports.
While we share the frustrations and concerns of so many individuals and families, recent efforts by the Illinois General Assembly and Governor Pritzker’s administration give the Association confidence that as a state we are now in a better place to begin to chip away at the inadequate funding plaguing our service array, as well as the statutory and regulatory barriers that have limited growth and flexibility in community-based services and supports.
We join organizations and individuals across Illinois in our collective efforts to advance the Fair Tax Constitutional Amendment, as this will not only lower taxes for the significant majority of Illinoisans, but will provide the resources that are necessary to address rate inadequacies, ensure a living wage for frontline staff, and expand the community-based service array and reduce the number of individuals on the waiting list for services.
IARF looks forward to working with Governor Pritzker and his leadership team, the General Assembly, the Arc of Illinois, and stakeholder partners towards eliminating barriers to individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities accessing community-based services and supports.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From IDHS…
IDHS exists to support individuals with developmental disabilities and their families who are striving for independence, integration and inclusion in our society.
We have made strides in the last year, but far too many individuals with disabilities who “age out” of the school system are waiting for appropriate services because these services were neglected and hollowed out for years. Too many parents are still struggling to help support their adult children with complex needs.
Our administration is working every day, in good faith with individuals, families and stakeholders, to dramatically improve the current system of services and supports. One example is our commitment to revising the rate methodology for developmental disabilities (DD) rates and services to ensure that our rates adequately support our community providers. (Kathy Carmody of the Institute for Public Policy for People with Disabilities and Ronnie Cohn, the court monitor in the Ligas case, were members of the IDHS Rates Oversight Committee that developed recommendations on DD system rate changes.)
The leadership team at IDHS is committed to proving to parents that we honor their devotion to their children and that we will be strong partners with them. Some of our actions to date include:
* Committing by 2025 to ensuring that no individual remains on the PUNS list 5 years after their 18th birthday.
* Moving more than 600 individuals off the PUNS list this year.
* Revising the PUNS list to distinguish individuals planning for services from those actively seeking services. (While there are close to 20,000 individuals on the PUNS, roughly 7,000 are actively seeking services.)
* Establishing a dedicated email account for inquiries about PUNS status and expected selection dates: DHS.DDD.PUNS@illinois.gov.
* Forging a deeper partnership between the Divisions of Developmental Disabilities and the Rehabilitation Services so individuals leaving high school can immediately access vocational and employment supports.
* Submitting a federal Medicaid waiver amendment to increase wages for front-line workers to account for Illinois’ increased minimum wage, so community-based DD providers can recruit and retain strong teams.
* Investing unprecedented levels of state support for the community-based system of services serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Getting this right – eliminating prolonged delays for disability services – requires we marshal and manage significant resources that can support individuals with disabilities to live self-determined lives in their communities.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Kathy Carmody, CEO Institute on Public Policy for People with Disabilities…
Glad you ran the Tribune item from earlier today. As I stated in the article, our current situation is the result of decades-long neglect and under-funding in the I/DD community service delivery system. We are encouraged by the current administration’s commitment to community services and the inclusion of community providers and their representatives in efforts to improve and enhance the community system. The Institute looks forward to continuing to work with the leadership teams at DHS and HFS to find creative and cost-effective solutions to the challenges facing people with disabilities and their families.
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Something’s missing here
Tuesday, Dec 3, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This is an odd story…
A Republican college sophomore who got clobbered in what he described as a “David vs. Goliath” aldermanic race against a member of the state’s most powerful Democrat’s ward organization is back for more.
But this time 20-year-old student David Krupa is seeking to set up a Republican beachhead in state House Speaker Mike Madigan’s heavily Democratic 13th Ward.
After losing to Madigan’s handpicked alderman in February, Krupa, a student at DePaul University, filed paperwork this week to run for 13th Ward Republican Committeeperson in an effort to “chip away” at the longtime speaker’s power in the Southwest Side ward.
“I decided that there needed to be another presence besides Madigan’s Democratic Ward Organization here in the Southwest Side of Chicago, and it needed to be an organized presence,” Krupa said Wednesday of his decision. “I ran as an independent for alderman, but I think we’re going to need more than just independent thinkers, and we’re going to need an organization behind us.”
It’s not odd because Krupa is running for Republican committeeperson. He’s a Republican, lives in the ward and it’s a free country.
* It’s odd because the story doesn’t contain even a glancing reference to Krupa’s recent past…
13th Ward aldermanic candidate David Krupa confirmed an allegation of sexual abuse when speaking to the president of College Republicans, the president said in a statement published in an article in The Gate Thursday.
Fourth-year Brett Barbin said that Krupa, a freshman at DePaul University who has garnered media attention including a Chicago Tribune editorial board endorsement, told him over the phone that he took off his condom when having sex with his high school ex-girlfriend without her consent—an allegation made in an emergency restraining order filed against Krupa in 2017.
Krupa also told Barbin in the call that he believed a judge extending the order until it went to trial was not on his side because the judge was female, Barbin said in the statement
And…
In June 2017, Krupa’s former high school girlfriend Juliet Schmidt filed a domestic violence complaint against Krupa, currently a freshman at DePaul University. Ms. Schmidt’s restraining order against Krupa references physical abuse, harassment, interference with personal liberty, intimidation of a dependent, exploitation, and stalking. Schmidt was granted an emergency order of protection; however, this has expired because a judge never ruled on the case […]
The restraining order details how Krupa called Schmidt’s friends “liberal f*gg*ts,” appeared uninvited outside her window, told her she was mentally unstable, and tried to coerce her into a car with him, only stopping when a police officer intervened.
I dare say that any other story about any other candidate running for office in any other part of the city or state would most definitely contain at least some reference to allegations such as those.
Odd.
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* CNBC…
Amazon revealed details of new renewable energy projects in the U.S. and Spain Tuesday, with the tech giant seeking to ramp up the greening of its operations.
Together, the three solar projects are expected to generate nearly 700,000 megawatt hours of energy per year, which is enough to power over 67,000 homes, according to the firm.
The project in Spain will be southeast of the city of Seville and have a capacity of 149 megawatts (MW). The solar facilities in the U.S. will be in Lee County, Illinois and Northern Virginia, and will amount to a combined 180 MW.
Lee County is in northern Illinois. The county seat is Dixon.
* WREX TV…
Amazon’s newest renewable energy solar projects in the US will be located in Lee County, Illinois and Frederick County, Virginia. Together, they total 180 MW and are expected to generate almost 400,000 MWh of renewable energy annually. This will be Amazon’s first large-scale renewable energy project in the state of Illinois and ninth in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Once complete, Amazon says the three new renewable energy solar projects will provide an estimated 329 MW of additional renewable capacity supplying energy to the company’s fulfillment network in Europe and Amazon Web Services data centers, which power Amazon and millions of AWS customers globally.
“Earlier this year, we announced The Climate Pledge, setting a goal to meet the Paris Agreement 10 years early and be net zero carbon by 2040. We also plan to run on 80% renewable energy by 2024 and 100% renewable energy by 2030,” said Kara Hurst, Director of Sustainability, Amazon. “We’re committed to investing in renewable energy as a critical step toward addressing our carbon footprint globally.”
Amazon says it’s working toward 80 percent of renewable energy by 2024 and 100 percent renewable energy by 2030, on a path to net zero carbon by 2040.
* WIFR…
Lee County will also be the site of Amazon’s first large-scale renewable energy project in Illinois.
“As we work to put our state on a path to 100% clean and renewable energy, Illinois is proud to have Amazon invest in a major solar project in our state,” said Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. “Addressing climate change will take all of us working together, and leadership from state governments and the business community will demonstrate how we can sustainably power a modern economy and create good-paying jobs.”
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Question of the day: Golden Horseshoe Awards
Tuesday, Dec 3, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The 2019 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Springfield Political Bar goes to a relative newcomer…
Buzz Bomb. Yes, not one usually thought of, but the folks at BB host a bunch of political events and you’ll find staff, lobbyists, and members there on session nights. Also, great beer.
They’re also pretty cool people.
* The 2019 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Springfield Political Restaurant goes to what I would call a non-traditional establishment because it’s not open at night except for events…
Cafe Moxo. Just sit there on a session morning between 7-10 AM. You will see a parade of staffers, lawmakers, lobbyists and people working in and at the Statehouse. They don’t just pop in, there are lots of meetings that take place there between 1-2 people and groups preparing for a day at the Statehouse. And the food is great.
That nomination just stopped me in my tracks. It’s spot-on.
* On to today’s categories…
* Best Springfield bartender
* Best Springfield waitstaff/kitchen staff
As always, try to nominate in both categories and explain your votes. This isn’t about the number of votes, it’s about why you are voting this way.
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* Today is GivingTuesday…
GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world on December 3, 2019 and every day.
It was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past seven years, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.
So, with that in mind, I encourage you to donate today to Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. We all know how important the foster care program is, and LSSI is on the front lines…
LSSI provides placement and casework services for children who have been removed from their families because of abuse and/or neglect. The goal of LSSI’s foster care services is to return the child back to his or her family. Services include training and licensing for foster families. Foster parents, working with LSSI, support the child’s connection to his or her family by providing transportation to or hosting sibling visits, and visiting with parents when the child welfare team mutually agrees upon this.
Children who cannot be safely reunited with their families may become available for adoption.
LSSI is the largest statewide provider of foster care services in Illinois. Approximately 10 percent of Illinois children under the guardianship of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) are served by LSSI.
Those services cost money. Yes, LSSI does receive government funding, but they also rely on donations. So, please, click here and donate to LSSI today. I will match the first $1,000.
And, remember, we’re doing this fundraiser in Wordslinger’s memory. I’m hoping to arrange a meet and greet reception with Wordslinger’s family during the upcoming spring session. That’ll give you a chance to tell them how you donated to LSSI because you respected him so much. Please, click here.
*** UPDATE 1 *** A generous anonymous donor just contributed $1,000. Wow! I contributed my pledged matching amount, so we’re now up to $3,170 of our $5,000 goal. Thanks to everyone! Now, let’s hit that target! Click here.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Wordslinger’s brother just texted to say that it would’ve been Word’s 56th birthday today. Wow. What a great coincidence! Please click here to donate.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Holy moly, we reached our interim $5,000 goal. That was fast. I’ve increased it to $6,000. Click here and let’s keep this going! Thanks!!!
*** UPDATE 4 *** Well, we reached our second goal, so I’ve bumped it up again. Please click here and donate if you haven’t done so already. Thanks!!!
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* Mark Maxwell…
Senator Bill Brady’s tenure as Minority Leader faces new uncertainty after Senator Jason Plummer, Brady’s former 2010 gubernatorial running mate, accused Brady of offering him an appointment to sit on the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform in exchange for muting his criticism of Brady’s side gig working to promote video gaming terminals in bars.
“It was said multiple times that he would not appoint me if I followed through on filing that legislation that I had worked on, or if I spoke publicly about it,” Plummer told WCIA on Monday night. “I was kind of surprised that he was as forward as he was. I said to him, I said, ‘Geez, Bill.’”
“I recall the conversation with great detail because it wasn’t just one conversation,” Plummer added.
Several Senate Republicans, who asked to speak anonymously, said Plummer’s explosive allegations could make it incredibly difficult for Brady to keep enough votes in his camp to win re-election to keep his post in 2021. […]
Plummer, an Edwardsville Republican, claims Brady’s aides quizzed him about legislation he has drafted that would outlaw elected officials from earning income to operate or promote video gaming terminals. Plummer says he has drafted, but not yet filed, Senate Bill 2318, which would prohibit any member from the General Assembly from receiving any income from a gaming related interest. The idea has been discussed by a number of Senate Republicans, who say they would support it, even though it would outlaw Brady from keeping one of his side jobs. […]
“I very much wanted to serve on the commission,” Plummer said, citing his interest in passing tougher ethics laws. According to several sources familiar with the private Senate Republican caucus meetings, Plummer openly pressured Brady to pursue more stringent ethical reforms, but the Minority Leader instead opted to embrace the “low hanging fruit” Democrats offered and moved to establish a Commission to study the issue of fighting corruption, as opposed to enacting laws to ban lawmakers from serving as lobbyists, or to broaden the powers of the Legislative Inspector General.
Wait a second. The Senate Republicans, including Plummer, voted unanimously against establishing that ethics commission. From a press release…
“With the cloud of scandal hanging over the Dome, we need to be taking up serious ethics reforms not punting to another partisan task force,” the caucus said in a statement issued before the vote.
* I checked in with Senate GOP Leader Bill Brady this morning and he said Plummer has “never” spoken to him about that video gaming bill. “He’s never brought it up.”
Brady said he had discussed with Plummer the need to represent “the interests of the caucus” at the joint commission, not his own private views. He also characterized Plummer’s comments as “false accusations.”
* There’s also a passage in the story about Sen. Dan McConchie, whom Brady appointed to the commission after Plummer took his name off the list…
However, Brady did not harbor the same concerns or require the same conditions from Senator McConchie, even though he had made several public statements and filed legislation in support of tougher ethical laws.
All of those bills were filed and the statements were made before the commission resolution passed, Brady said today. He’s right about that.
* Whoever is telling the truth here kinda matters less than the news value of watching two Senate Republicans, who ran as a team in the 2010 gubernatorial election, duking it out in public. Stay tuned.
*** UPDATE *** Partial walkback?…
* Related…
* Plummer letter to Brady
* Brady’s response to Plummer
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Filing deadline passes
Tuesday, Dec 3, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Lots of info in this Daily Herald piece by Jake Griffin, so go read it all…
Former state Rep. Randy Ramey, stepson of former Republican state Senate President Pate Philip, added his name to what could be a three-way race for the Republican nomination in the 45th District [against freshman Democrat Diane Pappas]. […]
Elsewhere in the suburbs, 63rd District incumbent Republican state Rep. Steven Reick of Woodstock filed for reelection Monday. Democrat Peter Janko, a small business owner from Marengo, also filed Monday to seek his party’s nomination for Reick’s seat. He is slated to face Woodstock Mayor Brian Sager in the March 17 primary.
Naperville Republican incumbent state Rep. Grant Wehrli picked up two Democratic challengers Monday for his 41st District seat. Denika McMillen, a social worker from Naperville, and Janet Yang Rohr, a Naperville Unit District 203 board member, both filed their paperwork Monday.
Democrat Joyce Mason of Gurnee also won’t face a primary challenge for her 61st District House seat. But Republican Dan Yost, an Antioch village trustee, is expected to challenge her in the Nov. 3 general election.
* Good stuff from Barton…
* Meanwhile…
Republicans will have a primary to select their candidate to succeed state Rep. Mike Unes in the Legislature, and Democrats will have a candidate in the November general election.
Sam Goddard, a Pekinite who runs his own logistics and trucking company, filed nominating petitions Monday in the race as a Republican. Moments before the filing deadline, so did Corey Campbell of Pekin, a Caterpillar Inc. employee.
Both will face [Republican] Pekin Mayor Mark Luft, who filed his petitions a week ago for the seat that takes in parts of Tazewell, Fulton and Peoria counties. Unes, R-East Peoria, announced last month that he’s retiring at the end of his term. […]
Josh Grys of Pekin filed for the seat as a Democrat on Monday afternoon, and is unopposed.The father of four boys said he plans to focus on issues including education — he’s a former teacher — as well as criminal justice reform and health care within Illinois.
* I told subscribers about Plummer last week…
Democratic Reps. Lauren Underwood and Sean Casten have no primaries this time around. Seven Republicans are angling to run against Underwood in the 14th Congressional District. And Casten will watch as Republicans Jeanne Ives of Wheaton and Jay Kinzler of Glen Ellyn duke it out in a GOP primary to face him for the 6th Congressional District seat.
Shimkus’ seat: Four Democrats and four Republicans are running for the 15th District seat now held by Congressman John Shimkus, who’s retiring. The big news here is that state Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, didn’t file. That means the race is wide open for the GOP — as it’s seen as a Republican seat. Frontrunners are Kent Gray, who worked as state director for Donald Trump in 2016, and Mary Miller, the wife of state Rep. Chris Miller. […]
Democrats are targeting some Republican-held House seats — this could be a challenge for the state GOP as its fundraising efforts are dwarfed by Dems. A top target is Tom Morrison, a Glen View Republican who just barely won his 54th District race in 2018. Two Dems will battle to face him in November. Republican Rep. Grant Wehrli also faces Dem opposition, which will be decided after the primary.
And interestingly, Republican Brad Stephens, the Rosemont mayor who was appointed to his 20th District seat to succeed Michael McAuliffe, will face November competition. Democrats are Michelle Darbro, a Chicago firefighter, and R. Cary Capparelli, whose father held the seat from 1971 to 2004. The younger Capparelli has run for other elected seats — sometimes, even, as a Republican.
…Adding… Also filing in that Shimkus district yesterday was Kimberly Wade. I’m told Rodney Davis’ people helped her gather petitions, but she filed just barely enough so she may not stay on the ballot. Davis featured Wade at the 2016 State of the Union address. She’s a children’s cancer activist.
* Subscribers know more about this Burke thing…
Also, Chicago Ald. Edward Burke drew a last-minute competitor for 14th Ward committeeperson on Monday when Alicia Elena Martinez filed paperwork to challenge the embattled longtime city official.
Just minutes before the clerk’s office was set to close, former Cook County Board President Todd Stroger arrived at the office and filed his nearly 12,000 signatures to compete for a water reclamation district position.
* Courts…
In Springfield, Appellate Justice Nathaniel Howse filed his petitions on Monday to run for the vacancy created by retired state Supreme Court Justice Charles Freeman. Howse joins seven who filed last week — including Justice P. Scott Neville Jr., who was appointed to replace Freeman and is now running for a full 10-year term.
The others who filed last week for the seat on the state’s top court are appellate court justices Jesse Reyes, Margaret Stanton McBride, Cynthia Cobbs and Sheldon Harris and lawyers Daniel Epstein and Clint Krislov. […]
Not filing her nominating petitions was Judge Cara Smith, former policy chief for Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, who was appointed to the bench earlier this year. Smith apparently opted not to seek a full term in the county’s 7th Subcircuit. She had been recommended for the vacancy by Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, wife of embattled 14th Ward Ald. Ed Burke.
Smith’s appointment sparked controversy, with some black aldermen and pastors accusing Burke of putting politics ahead of diversity.
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* As of June 30, 2018, the General Assembly Retirement System had an unfunded liability of 85.16 percent. It had 132 “Active Contributing Members” and 302 retirement annuitants and another 115 survivors drawing benefits. Add in stuff like this and you can easily see why GARS is in such trouble. From the Center Square…
[Retiring Senate President John Cullerton’s] starting annual pension will be nearly $83,000, which is 85% of his final salary of roughly $97,600 a year. For most state retirees, the next year of retirement would come with a 3% automatic pension increase, bringing Cullerton’s pension to $85,500 a year.
But in July 2021, Cullerton will see his pension checks explode to nearly $128,000 a year, a 54% increase.
How? For each year he served at the Statehouse since 2003, when he turned 55 years old, Cullerton received an extra 3% increase to his eventual pension payment. After retirement, all of those increases are then applied to Cullerton’s pension as part of his first cost-of-living adjustment.
Should Cullerton retire in mid-January, he will have collected 3% increases for 17 years, good for a 51% pension boost. That will stack on top of his automatic first-year adjustment of 3%, coming to a total pension hike of 54%, according to his pension fund’s response to Freedom of Information Act requests. After that, he will continue to see a 3% bump each year.
This little-known benefit comes from a 1989 bill sponsored by former state Sen. Emil Jones Jr., which allows lawmakers who were elected prior to 2003 to hoard pension “spikes.” Cullerton, who was House Speaker Mike Madigan’s floor leader in the House at the time, was a member of the committee that finalized the bill. It passed both chambers with bipartisan support.
“(F)or those members of the General Assembly right now who … have maxed out … they are still contributing to that retirement system,” Jones told his colleagues at the time, according to the Chicago Tribune. “So all this does is give them a little 3% on their own money.” He was referring to lawmakers who had already maxed out their pension at 85% of their salary.
The same bill established a 3% automatic cost of living adjustment for all retired state workers and Chicago city workers. This benefit alone doubles a retiree’s pension in just 25 years. Even without the special sweetener provision, the 3% automatic benefit increases would bump Cullerton’s annual pension to more than $120,000 by the time he turns 85.
Discuss.
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